Available on XBO, 360 and PC l Published by Microsoft Game Studios l Developed by Bizarre Creations lClassified G l Supports 1 player

REVIEW IN BRIEF > Geometry Wars 3 is a very challenging game. Fast and furious in nature and simplistic in design, it’s not without its intrinsic reward though. This is a game where you never feel like you have to play more, instead you want to. Some gamers may not resonate with the gameplay though.

The end of the year brings inevitable “best of lists” and I didn’t want to miss out on the fun. But I thought I would do something a little different from what usually appears on the site and create a video montage of my favourite games of the year.

This is a list on my personal favourites and as such is probably different from your own list, so feel free to tell me how wrong I am in the comments below. So with that in mind sit back, relax and enjoy nearly six minutes of my inane waffle as I talk about the games that spoke to me in 2014.

Welcome to The Black List, your one stop shop for the stories published on the site this week.

SUNDAY JUST ANNOUNCED Dōmo arigatō, Mr. Roboto > If piloting giant walking robots across hostile alien planets, with only your A.I. for company, is your thing (and let’s face it, who hasn’t fantasized about this), then your circuits should be ablaze with anticipation for Vox Machinae. READ MORE

MONDAY NEWS Mojang’s Scrolls Officially Released > It was a few years ago now that we saw a teaser for Mojang’s new property, Scrolls. Actually it was over four years ago. Well, fast forward to a few days before now, and Mojang has officially released Scrolls for PC, Mac and Android tablets. READ MORE

TUESDAY NEWS Meet Ciri > While female assassins are apparently too hard to program, it would appear that female Witchers are not. After teasing a female playable character for The Witcher 3 some months ago, CD Projekt have finally unveiled Ciri, a Witcher with Elven lineage and the ability to both heal and destroy the world she inhabits. READ MORE

WEDNESDAY JUST ANNOUNCED Rejoice with New DmC Release Overload > Capcom have just announced a one-two punch of Devil May Cry HD mayhem, the first blow coming on March 17th of 2015 with the release of DmC Devil May Cry: Definitive Edition for PS4 and Xbox One, the finisher being the release of Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition for PS4 and Xbox One in Q4 2015. READ MORE

THURSDAY NEWS Online Heists are coming to Los Santos > After what has seemed like an eternity of promises GTA Online is one step closer to finally getting the much hyped heists feature. Initially promised at launch over 12 months ago, Online Heists have been almost like a holy grail for Rockstar’s impressive online world. The heists in the single player mode were exceptional so the thought of being able to plan and execute a flawless robbery with a group of friends had people salivating. READ MORE

FRIDAY NEWS Can’t deny the Hatred > Hatred has been riding a wave of pre-release criticism due its depiction of a misanthropic anti-hero gunning down a stream of civilians just because he can. Polish Game studio, Descructive Creations, has also released comments cannily protesting outrage at peoples’ reactions to fan the flames of their pre-release hype and publicity. READ MORE

Hatred has been riding a wave of pre-release criticism due its depiction of a misanthropic anti-hero gunning down a stream of civilians just because he can. Polish Game studio, Descructive Creations, has also released comments cannily protesting outrage at peoples’ reactions to fan the flames of their pre-release hype and publicity.

This week, after being posted briefly on Steam Greenlight, Valve had announced that Hatred would no longer be available on that service only to have Gabe Newell reverse it stating that ‘it wasn’t a good decision’. Was this actually censorship or a just mater of taste? And did it really matter anyway?

This issue has been front and center in gaming with Target recently announcing the removal of GTA V from its shelves after a petition over its portrayal of violence against women. Australia was also very slow in bringing an R-rating to games, which had resulted in mainstream titles like Left 4 Dead 2 and Fallout 3 being either banned or released in an edited version.

At the end of the day, Hatred will be finished, released and played in some format. In fact, by writing and talking about it we are helping to promote and encourage people to play it. Whether you do or not is up to do.

The best thing about all of this is it gives us another opportunity to talk about gaming today with somebody.